There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 402 - 394. Where the Blue Meets

Chapter 402: Chapter 394. Where the Blue Meets

Zein had wondered why the lake in this place was so clear. He wondered whether it had something to do with his mother’s power or the blessing from Frejya.

But he found out that there was nothing like that there; no mana stones, nor a stray shard, or even some unknown magical contraption. It was just the magic of nature, he gathered, and he liked that.

He liked that there was still something like a miracle in this world. Give him hope. Give him a realization that he could still hope.

It was true what his former Captain said; he should go out and see the world, because his pessimism came from the stagnation he experienced from staying only in bad places. Well, if it came down to it, Bassena was the one who told him to roam the world to find an answer.

Had he found it, though? What he had wanted to do with life.

Not something out of duty, but from desire. The stuff the future formed with. Not just the immediate future, but the full picture.

He had drawn some for his clan, for Ishtera’s name. But he couldn’t really say it was something he wanted for him. The future with Bassena...was something that was inevitable due to their relationship. But what kind of future did he want in that relationship?

It was a question that became more prevalent with the talk alluding to marriage that they had never really delved into, or the talk about imprinting earlier. He realized that he was no longer opposed to such ideas, but he also wasn’t sure if he would want it.

And then, there was also something else that he had yet to tell Bassena...

"What are you thinking about while making such a serious face?"

Zein felt a pair of warm hands on his cheeks, and looked up to see the esper’s curious face hovering above him. "Just..." he closed his eyes and leaned back slightly, propped on his arms against the warm dock. "The future."

"Oh?" Bassena put the picnic basket he carried beside Zein, before taking a seat next to it. "It’s rare for you you talk about the future," he said with a smile. He paused for a few seconds before continuing. "What kind of future is it?"

"Something beyond the Deathzone."

Bassena bit his lips to hold back his lips from grinning. Just a few months ago, Zein didn’t even want to think about the future of tomorrow, saying things like there was no use to think about a tomorrow without a guarantee. But here he was, just half a year later, thinking about something beyond five years in the future.

To say that Bassena felt happy was an understatement.

"Am I there in your future?" he asked, feigning giddiness by taking out the sandwich he made for their breakfast.

"Why ask if you already know?"

"Well, it’s nice to hear it directly," Bassena shrugged, delivering the sandwich to Zein’s hand.

Instead of taking it with his hand, Zein took a bite of the bread and everything in between--meat, vegetable, cheese--and munched it for a while, before delivering his reply. "If you wish to know; you’re always a big part of it."

"...you shouldn’t flirt," Bassena only managed to talk after a full minute had passed. "It’s bad for my heart."

Zein took the sandwich off Bassena’s hand and laughed. "I’m just answering your question."

Eating his sandwich, Zein let his bare feet dangle off the dock, touching the clear water beneath. It was the beginning of April, so the water was still rather cold.

"Are you sure you’ll go swimming in this temperature?" Bassena asked.

"It’s not like we can do it when it’s warm," Zein shrugged. By the time summer rolled by, they would have already marched to the East.

"Well, that’s true," Bassena stared down at the clear water. So clear that he felt like looking into the mirror. The mirror reflected the blue sky and the blossoming trees around the dock, as well as his face and Zein’s legs. Just the two of them and fluttering petals.

Like a certain wedding photograph.

Thinking about it made him giddy. During the New Year, he had to share Zein with others when they celebrated the guide’s birthday. And while he was glad that a lot of people showed how much they cared about the guide, he would lie if he didn’t feel disappointed. He was still merely a human who wished to monopolize his lover during important days.

But he could do it this time. Sure, they still had no exact date, but it was closer than the New Year, which was just a fixed date for people with unknown birthdays. They had turned their commlink off, except for the emergency channel. So unless an emergency occurred, no one would disturb them.

And thankfully, their commlink had been peacefully silent.

"Why do you keep smiling to yourself?" Zein’s face appeared beside him in the mirror, munching the last mouthful of sandwich. "Are you admiring your face or something?"

"I’d rather admire yours," Bassena replied without wiping the smile off his face.

Zein scoffed and pulled himself back, laying on the surface of the dock that was covered with a blanket. He looked up at the spread of blue and white that looked like it came from a fairy tale in those picture books the kids in the red-zone would fight for during charity day.

These peaceful days too, almost felt like a fairy tale.

Bassena lay down beside Zein, intertwining their fingers as they just stared wordlessly at the sky, basking in silence and peace, committing the scenery to their memory.

This was the scenery they wished to see in the Deathzone; the blue sky unperturbed by a roof of miasma.

"You know, people usually do this thing during the night," Bassena said.

"Ah," Zein hummed in agreement. "What is it called again? Watching the stars or something?"

"Stargazing."

"That,"

The last time they were here at night, it was disturbed by the ambush from Horin. And while it was expected, it was also still a disappointment.

"We can do that tonight," Zein played with Bassena’s fingers and smiled, before sitting up and pulling the esper with him. "But for now, let’s get into the water."

* * *

It was only cold at first. After submerging himself except for his head, it didn’t feel too cold anymore as his body adjusted to the temperature. Instead, it felt refreshing, even without circulating mana to keep him warm.

Bassena’s lesson wasn’t as refreshing, however. The man taught Zein seriously; not to pass leisure time, but to give a lesson in surviving a drowning. He had been spending his childhood and adolescent days getting drilled by someone who was now an ex-military special force, and then using that experience to drill rookie espers in the guild. The soul of an instructor was coming out that day.

So Zein truly got his lesson, exercising the cakes he ate yesterday. Bassena only taught him basic limb movement, but he didn’t stop until he was satisfied with Zein’s movement. It was fascinating how merciless he was even in front of Zein’s pretty face.

So that was why people in the guild called them the demon instructor couple.

Still, Bassena was considerably softer than with others. "Are you tired? Do you want to stop?" he asked with concern, as if the stern voice he used before was an illusion.

"Hmm..." Zein looked down at the water that reached below his neck. He could still touch the bottom of the lake with his toes, since they didn’t go too far from the dock. "Can you teach me how to float for now? I want to...how should I say this? Float on my back?"

He had seen people do it on television, and he wondered if they had used mana or an ability to do that. But Bassena said there was no need for that, so he wanted to try it.

"Sure," Bassena nodded, placing his hands on Zein’s back. "Just fall back and relax your body. I’ll support you, so don’t worry about drowning."

Following Bassena’s instruction, Zein let himself fall back, feeling the warm hands pressed into his back. "Relax, spread your limbs--not too wide. Tilt your head back slightly--that’s enough--take a deep breath, arch your back--alright, can you feel yourself floating?"

"Kind of?" Zein spoke carefully.

"Keep your head still. I’m going to release my hand slowly, okay? Don’t panic."

"Mm," Zein just hummed so his head wouldn’t move and he wouldn’t waste the air keeping his buoyancy. Slowly, he felt the sturdy hand leaving his back, and he took another deep breath, filling his lungs with air.

And then he felt it; as if he was flying, there was nothing but blue sky in his eyes. His feet could not feel the ground, and there was a sense of losing gravity.

It was wonderful.

The sensation was captivating, hypnotizing, and his mind felt like it got blurred. Like he was alone, like there was nothing in this world anymore but the gurgling sound of water.

And the water was calling for him.

"Ah..." he sighed, and bent his back.

Quickly, he descended, plunging into the blue illusion.

Zein knew he was drowning; he could see the glimmering pattern above him, and the blurry sky beyond the veil. But what he felt at that moment wasn’t panic.

It was peaceful. Serene. Like home.

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